Story: Wellington region

Te Aro pā

Te Aro pā

Te Aro was established around the 1820s, and covered about 2 hectares in the 1840s, when this drawing was made. It was divided in two, with Ngāti Ruanui people living in the eastern end and Taranaki people at the western end. As Wellington grew, British colonists called for the pā to be sold. The residents resisted, but the settlers forced the issue and by 1870 it had been subdivided and sold. In 2005, archaeologists uncovered the remains of three huts.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: A-049-001
Pencil sketch by Edmund Norman

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Chris Maclean, 'Wellington region - Early Māori history', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/13194/te-aro-pa (accessed 28 March 2024)

Story by Chris Maclean, updated 1 Aug 2015